Chocolat (“Coco”)

She Cried Out for Help

Breed – Liver Chestnut Arabian Mare – Born in 2001

Entry Date – 12/27/13

Type of rescue – Surrendered to Jackson County Sheriff’s Department

Reason – Neglected & Starving

Special needs – None

In full view from the street, Coco and her field mate Maguire were penned up in a pipe coral staring and nickering to passersby, pleading for help. Fed poor quality hay on rare occasions, the desperately hungry pair were reduced to chewing on the oak trees that surrounded their prison.

Several neighbors heard her cries and complained to the Sheriff’s Department. In December of 2013, a deputy from the department tried working with the owners to improve the care and feeding of this neglected pair. The owners made promise after promise to step up and regularly feed Coco and Maguire adequate hay rations to keep them in good health. On each visit to check on the horses, however, the frustrated Deputy Sherriff found no improvement in their feeding schedule, and the horses continued to look thinner on each subsequent visit to the property.

The owners were give an ultimatum. They could either surrender the horses to the Equamore Sanctuary or go to jail. On December 27, 2013, volunteers from the Sanctuary transported Coco and Maguire to their new and permanent home where they now thrive.